For those that are frustrated that Vista won’t do what you want it to do, don’t write it off just yet.  With some simple system tweaks and some free software downloads, you can change almost every aspect of your OS to better suit your needs. 

Microsoft believes a change in the hardware market means it could be time for the 64-bit edition of Windows to catch on.

Compliments are far and few between these days for Vista, besides the kudos it receives for its user interface.  When something does come along, it’s well worth sharing.  Compliments are due for the fact that Vista is by far the most robust and hardest to break than any previous Microsoft operating system.

Like many other writers, I see Mojave as much more of ad campaign than a genuine scientific experiment. As my colleague Matt Jansen wrote yesterday, it’s no secret that there was a major flaw in the way that the participants didn’t actually get a hands-on experience (which makes it ironic that one of them stressed the importance of using a system to be able to appreciate it). But I was interested to visit the new Mojave Experiment website and see some of the footage for myself.

Microsoft has been keeping the raps on a non-Windows-based operating system known as Midori, which is being built from the ground up to become the predecessor to Windows Vista.  Microsoft realized it’s going to take more than simply improving on its existing technology to turn itself around.

Hewlett Packard has questioned the reliability of Microsoft’s recent reports of selling 180 million copies of Vista so far.

I’m always interested to hear out anyone that has the opinion that Vista lives up to all that was hyped during its introduction.  Not that I’m for the side that thinks Vista is not up to par, but anytime you hear good things about the OS it’s worth a mention.  There’s been some opinions as of late that Vista is actually better for basic home computing than almost anything else, especially now that SP1 has fixed many of the problems.

Microsoft has hit back at the Forrester Research report which likened Vista to ‘New Coke’ after estimating just 8% of large businesses are using the system. The response came from a Microsoft communications worker Chris Flores (pictured left), who made a post on the official blog for Windows development.

This year has been particularly hard for Vista in regards to getting developers on board who actually want to develop applications for the OS.  With Linux the clear choice in today’s open environment, it doesn’t make things easier for the struggling OS.  Throw in the fact that it can’t seem to shake its reputation for dissatisfaction, and it spells disaster for the future of Vista application development overall.

At Microsoft’s recent Financial Analyst Meeting Steve Ballmer, among other things, blamed Vista’s misconception woes on PC manufacturers who are shipping mediocre, "crapware-infested" installations, as he calls it.  Since the manufacturers have every right to do so, it’s up to Microsoft to form a game plan to combat it.

By releasing SP1 for Vista, Microsoft was hoping it would boost deployment of the OS in enterprise environments.  A recent survey conducted of IT professionals found that it indeed has not, and actually has had the opposite effect, showing a 7% drop over a similar survey conducted last year.

A study of 50,000 computer users in large businesses has found just 8.8% are running Vista, leading the author to dub the system “Microsoft’s New Coke”.

Avanquest connection management software for Windows has dropped its $29.95 price tag to be offered free-O-charge to frustrated Windows users that are tired of struggling with connection settings every time they move locations or connection type.

Microsoft has run a creative study that appears to show just how much of Vista’s woes are down to a poor public image. But some have questioned how representative it really is.

Those that upgraded to, or installed the latest release of iTunes 7.7 on an XP or Vista-based system may or may not have noticed that Apple included a control panel applet for its MobileMe online sync and storage service with no mention at all in the release notes, nor when downloading the iTunes update.  This has anti-malware organizations up in arms once again against Apple.